Any train guys here?

W

whiskers

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Dec 31, 2015
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Location
Peterborough Ontario Canada
I have placed hobby “coal” in a stove for my model. How do I make it look like the fire is roaring? Or at least some indication that the coals are lit.

Thanks
Never been a train guy
 
could you install a red or orange led light in the firebox. depends on the amount of space available I guess. It would be neat if it pulsed in brightness maybe through a variety of capacity.
 
There are some good fluorescent orange and yellow paints that could be dabbed on here and there. Realism will depend a bit on where the coal is located and how visible it is.
 
There are small circuits with glowing bulbs attached that you fit into a loco firebox on the market, some are for digital control (DCC) only though, so check
 
Fireboxes are furnace hot. Fit a white, yellow and orange ganged mini LED group behind a tissue paper screen shining through coarse (fine? depends on the scale) salt crystals. Experiment a bit, but you should get the effect you are looking for.
 
This can be a tough nut…scale is your problem as well as visibility for a model ship’s stove. Try using a cotton ball base for the coal. First fluff out the cotton so it is loose…then spray paint lightly with yellow and red…yellows at the tips…then settle the coal in and around the cotton. Not a lighted solution but one that might look OK…
 
danielsje said:
This can be a tough nut…scale is your problem as well as visibility for a model ship’s stove. Try using a cotton ball base for the coal. First fluff out the cotton so it is loose…then spray paint lightly with yellow and red…yellows at the tips…then settle the coal in and around the cotton. Not a lighted solution but one that might look OK…
Click to expand...
Thanks you guys. I’ll give these suggestions a try.
 
Hello Whiskers,
I think that I qualify as a "train guy", I built the EMD F7 in my profile picture from scratch, in fact I built five of them over a few years.
I use LED lights on this for the the classification lights, and they work well and last for ages.

For smaller scale models or the stove/fire in your model I suggest using small LED bulbs available in red, yellow or clear for using in a fire or stove.
They are avalable from most Railroad Hobby Stores (not toy stores). They are 1/8 " in diameter about 3'16" long with two wire leads from the back that take the supply. For Miniature train use that are connected with a resistor on one lead to work on the normal railway 12 volt system.
I believe the LED works on about 3 volts (please check this) a so a matching battery supply at this voltage would eliminate the need for the resistor and occupy less space.

I ho[e this may be of some help, best Wishes
Derek Payne, Stafford UK12v LED 1:8%22dia.png
 
You might also look for multi colored LEDs with 3 or 4 legs, used in signs and signals they change color or shade of color depending on voltage applied to each power leg.
 
Hi, again. I don't know what model you're building here, or in what scale, but allow me to suggest that you try using one or more pre-wired really tiny 3v LEDs in the 0402 or 0603 size range, or even the ultra tiny but still very bright 0201 size (<0.5 mm) which cost much more than the others but their lead wires are as fine or finer than human hair and easily concealable. You could wire them to a 3v coin-type (e.g. CR2025 or CR2032) or button-type (e.g.: CR927) lithium battery holder with an on/off switch that you could mount in or on your display baseboard. Both are readily available on EBay, Ali Express, and Wish That's what I'm currently doing to provide navigational, cabin, and deck lighting on my Naxos fishing boat.
 
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